In the setting of department stores, the display of merchandise often becomes a critical concern. Some merchandise may sell more rapidly in one location of a store than in another location. The introduction of new products for sale also creates problems as to the proper manner for displaying these products. In many instances, the inability to properly display merchandise can determine the success or failure of a product being offered for sale. Ultimately, this can reflect on the profitability of the store offering this merchandise for sale.
One display system was the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 4,780,349, issued on Oct. 25, 1988 to Gieske et al. This patent described a display system having a structural layer of rigid material with a plurality of holes extending therethrough, a plurality of laminate sections fastened to the structural layer in parallel relationship, a fastening material fastened to the structural layer in the area between the laminate sections, and an attachment cleat affixed to the side of the structural layer opposite the laminate sections. This structural layer is a sheet of pegboard material.
The display of tiles has also been a major problem for those stores which offer tile for sale. In the past, when tile is placed on display, it generally resides in flat surface-to-surface contact with a shelf in a display panel. While this flat display of the tiles is easy to view, it is very difficult to remove one of the tiles from the surface of the shelf for closer inspection. Additionally, it often takes a great deal of space to properly display the tiles in a side-by-side manner.
The lack of clearance between the underside of the tile and the top surface of the shelf makes such removal difficult. Customers often grow very dissatisfied whenever it is necessary to remove several samples for a side-by-side comparison. Under certain circumstances, the shelving lacks proper retaining surfaces. As a result, the tile can have a tendency to fall off the shelf and onto the floor. This results in the breakage of the display tile and also presents the possibility of injury to customers. In general, all of the display panels that have been used for the display of tile have been inadequate for their intended purpose.
One type of system has been employed in the past for the display of tile. This system utilizes flat shelves with holes formed through the shelf. As a result, a person can hook his or her finger through the hole so as to dislodge the tile from the surface of the shelf. Unfortunately, this technique causes the tile to fall off the shelf to the possible injury of others. In other circumstances, broken fingernails result from efforts in trying to remove the tile by this technique.
For any type of display system, it is important to be able to easily manufacture this display system at a minimal cost to the purchaser. In addition, it is necessary to create such a display system that can be easily stored, transported and assembled. If assembly becomes too difficult, then the purchaser may fail to properly assemble the display system. As a result, the display system may never be used or, if improperly assembled, may fall apart quickly after assembly. In other circumstances, tile stores may desire to move a display from one location to another within the store. Whenever it is necessary to move a display, it is important that the display be able to be disassembled in a minimal amount of time for removal and transport. The display may be irreparably damaged if it is difficult to disassemble and transport.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for the display of tiles.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which allows for the easy removal and inspection of tile.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for the display of tile which allows the tile to be stored in a convenient and safe manner.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for the display of tiles which can be easily assembled and disassembled.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for the display of tiles which allows a maximum number of tiles to be displayed in a minimal amount of space.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for the display of tiles which allows the various tile sections to be fanned through easily.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for the display of tiles which is easy to use, easy to manufacture, easy to assemble, easy to store and relatively inexpensive.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification.